What do you think?
Rate this book
Dear Canada
The Death of My Country: The Plains of Abraham Diary of Geneviève Aubuchon
The first Dear Canada featuring a First Nations diarist, The Death of My Country is set at a pivotal point in Canada's history - the war between Britain and France for control of New France. Geneviève Aubuchon is born into an Abenaki tribe but is orphaned when another tribe destroys her village. She and her brother are taken to a convent in Québec.While Geneviève gradually adapts to her new life with the sisters, her older brother runs away to rejoin the Abenaki. Geneviève fears for his life when he joins the First Nations allies who are helping defend Québec against the British siege of the city and the attack on the Plains of Abraham. Author Maxine Trottier frequently participates in historical re-enactments. Her hobby has provided her with an opportunity to research and experience this key time in Canada's history.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
7 people are currently reading
884 people want to read
About the author
Maxine Trottier
55 books29 followersMaxine Trottier is the award-winning writer of numerous books for young people, including Claire's Gift (winner of the Mr. Christie's Book Award), Laura: A Childhood Tale of Laura Secord, the Circle of Silver Chronicles, and The Tiny Kite of Eddy Wing (winner of the CLA Book of the Year Award).
A former teacher and an avid sailor, Maxine has long been fascinated by history. She is now an associate member of La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan, whose purpose is "to honour the memory of these courageous people." While researching Alone in an Untamed Land, Maxine discovered that she herself is directly descended from a fille du roi.
Maxine lives in the small outport of Newman's Cove in Newfoundland, with her husband William and their Yorkie Moon.
A former teacher and an avid sailor, Maxine has long been fascinated by history. She is now an associate member of La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan, whose purpose is "to honour the memory of these courageous people." While researching Alone in an Untamed Land, Maxine discovered that she herself is directly descended from a fille du roi.
Maxine lives in the small outport of Newman's Cove in Newfoundland, with her husband William and their Yorkie Moon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 4, 2017
This one really captures what a devastating defeat the battle of the Plains of Abraham was; the irreparable injury to the spirit of being conquered.
March 1, 2010
When Genevieve was about five years old, she and her older brother, Chegual, were the sole survivors of a raid on their Abenaki village. They were rescued and brought to Quebec, where they were taken in by a childless couple, the apothecary and his wife. Not long after, the apothecary died, but his wife, Madame Claire, continued to raise the children. Genevieve eventually became more French than Abenaki following her education by the nuns, but her brother never adjusted and eventually left.
Now, Genevieve is twelve and the year is 1759. She continues to live in Quebec with her adoptive mother, Madame Claire. A war rages between France and England over control of some of the North American colonies, and Genevieve finds her peaceful life changing in many ways when the city of Quebec is put under siege by the British. Her brother returns to the city with his best friend, only for them to go off to battle to defend Quebec with other Indian allies.
This was one of the best books in the Dear Canada series. I loved the characters as well as the historical setting. Although it was very sad at times, it was also hopeful. Genevieve was an interesting character - part French, part Abenaki, but fully neither. She was able to give a unique view of the French and Indian War. I'd definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoyed other Dear Canada books.
Now, Genevieve is twelve and the year is 1759. She continues to live in Quebec with her adoptive mother, Madame Claire. A war rages between France and England over control of some of the North American colonies, and Genevieve finds her peaceful life changing in many ways when the city of Quebec is put under siege by the British. Her brother returns to the city with his best friend, only for them to go off to battle to defend Quebec with other Indian allies.
This was one of the best books in the Dear Canada series. I loved the characters as well as the historical setting. Although it was very sad at times, it was also hopeful. Genevieve was an interesting character - part French, part Abenaki, but fully neither. She was able to give a unique view of the French and Indian War. I'd definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoyed other Dear Canada books.
April 4, 2014
This journal centers around likeable and unexpected hero, Genevieve. When she was only five years old, she and her older brother Cheguel were orphaned when the Abenaki village was destroyed in a fire. Now about twelve or thirteen years old, she now lives with loving foster mother, Madame Claire Aubuchon. For the first few months of writing in her diary, Genevieve spends her days happily with her "family", Cheguel, his friend Eteinne, and at the local convent. But with the ongoing war with the English over who owns Canada, Genevieve is fearful for her brother. Finally, when the English do attack at the Plains of Abraham, she must stay hopeful in the months afterword. It becomes more of a challenge when a wounded Scottish soldier is stationed in their home. Finally, Genevieve comes to the conclusion that she must put the past behind her and enjoy her new life.
I especially enjoyed this book because of the character and because it went into detail about the battle both in the journal and the historical note. What the author could have improved was to make the story more exciting at the beginning to draw the reader in (I found it a little slow-going in the first twenty pages). All in all, it is a great story and I definitely recommend it!
I especially enjoyed this book because of the character and because it went into detail about the battle both in the journal and the historical note. What the author could have improved was to make the story more exciting at the beginning to draw the reader in (I found it a little slow-going in the first twenty pages). All in all, it is a great story and I definitely recommend it!
January 28, 2019
This book was so interesting. The main character is a Native American living with a French woman who adopted her. The relationship between the main character and her adoptive mother is something that is not seen very often in the world, especially in the 1700's. The plight of the French Canadian people throughout this novel and the battles of the French and Indian War is something that is eye opening to read. The characters in this book lost their homes, lost their lives, and had to surrender to a government they did not want to be a part of. I also enjoyed how even though the Scottish people fought for the British military that they still did not feel right about it and were forced to do to the Canadian people what the British did to their people not long ago. This is something not many people actually know when learning about the French and Indian War. I think this novel was really well written and was extremely historically accurate. The author herself does reenactments from this time in history which obviously helped in the writing of this novel. Cannot wait to start the next book!
July 25, 2011
Bland... I didn't really find it that great...
Read
October 7, 2018buckle up because I'm going to read every single one of these suckers
August 16, 2020
This is a book in the Dear Canada series and I have enjoyed all of the books that I've read in the series thus far including this one. I was born and spent all of my youth in the province of Quebec and have visited Quebec City numerous times so this book told from the perspective of a young Abenaki girl raised by the French gave me a very interesting look at the civilian life in the lead up to the battle on the Plains of Abraham. This was a pivotal point in our history and I felt the author did an excellent job in telling the story through diary entries. I particularly appreciated that it was told from the perspective of a First Nations girl even though she was quite well assimilated into the French culture. Coming from Quebec I had no issues with the French interspersed throughout the story. There was an index at the back which might be more useful at the front for some readers. Books like this really help to make history come alive.
November 21, 2023
the way i used to eat this books up has to be studied
July 2, 2021
I have read this one before so it was a quick read because I mostly skimmed through.
This the diary of Genevieve Aubuchon, or Miguen (feather), her given name by her mother. Genevieve is an orphan adopted by Madame Claire, who has the money to shower her with fine gifts. She is still in contact with her older brother Chegual, who ran off to be with the Abenaki people, along with his friend Etienne, who Gene (I'm shorting it) has a bit of a crush on.
Gene is pretty well educated for the time, which is surprising. All in all I think it's kind of an idealized story about an orphaned girl. After she completes 'normal' school her adoptive mother continues to teach her. Their house has a freaking library in it! It's New France in 1759 for goodness sake! Her brother gives her a rabbit, which she is allowed to keep...her brother and his friend are hired on by her adoptive mother until they are 'needed'. If that's not upper class in early times in Canda, I don't know what is.
Random french words are dropped in this book. But they are easy and there's a glossary in the back if you need it.
Things are pretty boring at first but pick up a little bit when the British ships are finally spotting on the river. But even then I wouldn't call it a 'fascinating' read due to its slow start. I don't think this book ever hits a sufficiently fast stride for my likings, though I will admit I did enjoy the parts where the city was being hit. But obviously those weren't often and Gene, as the adopted daughter of an upper class Quebec madam was nowhere near the majority of the fighting.
After the battle on the plains of Abraham Gene is left to pick up the pieces. Things get harder when an injured soldier is placed in her household. She even reads part of his journal, and this is where the title of this book is dropped in.
Conclusion
I don't know. I didn't love this book as much as I loved Winter of Peril. I think it's probably because I have trouble thinking Genevieve could be so lucky and, mostly, easily accepted as she is in the book. I also think the the pacing off this book is a little off for my own personal likings. It is an interesting time in history though.
This the diary of Genevieve Aubuchon, or Miguen (feather), her given name by her mother. Genevieve is an orphan adopted by Madame Claire, who has the money to shower her with fine gifts. She is still in contact with her older brother Chegual, who ran off to be with the Abenaki people, along with his friend Etienne, who Gene (I'm shorting it) has a bit of a crush on.
Gene is pretty well educated for the time, which is surprising. All in all I think it's kind of an idealized story about an orphaned girl. After she completes 'normal' school her adoptive mother continues to teach her. Their house has a freaking library in it! It's New France in 1759 for goodness sake! Her brother gives her a rabbit, which she is allowed to keep...her brother and his friend are hired on by her adoptive mother until they are 'needed'. If that's not upper class in early times in Canda, I don't know what is.
Random french words are dropped in this book. But they are easy and there's a glossary in the back if you need it.
Things are pretty boring at first but pick up a little bit when the British ships are finally spotting on the river. But even then I wouldn't call it a 'fascinating' read due to its slow start. I don't think this book ever hits a sufficiently fast stride for my likings, though I will admit I did enjoy the parts where the city was being hit. But obviously those weren't often and Gene, as the adopted daughter of an upper class Quebec madam was nowhere near the majority of the fighting.
After the battle on the plains of Abraham Gene is left to pick up the pieces. Things get harder when an injured soldier is placed in her household. She even reads part of his journal, and this is where the title of this book is dropped in.
Conclusion
I don't know. I didn't love this book as much as I loved Winter of Peril. I think it's probably because I have trouble thinking Genevieve could be so lucky and, mostly, easily accepted as she is in the book. I also think the the pacing off this book is a little off for my own personal likings. It is an interesting time in history though.
November 24, 2020
read the first 10-15% of the book on November 15 or 16 or 17. Rest was read on Nov. 23.
3.9 stars (7.8/10)
I've read a lot of Canadian historical fiction already, but I learned something new from this book. The history of Quebec isn't discussed in-depth outside the province and I learned about the Abenaki (Alnanbal) people for the first time so this book was interesting.
I might buy a personal copy. The main girl character was more likeable than the one about polio.
Good read. Had nice messages like loving your enemy and seeing them as people too.
Critique: has too many French words that can be commonly replaced with English (eg: scarf, pig, etc.) that weren't special enough to really see why they should be in French instead of English. I'd get it if it was a name or term specific to the culture, but otherwise it becomes too much.
The cramming of historical figures and details in French didn't help either. While I did get to review my French, too much French breaks the flow of the story. It also makes it less of a story about the main character at times and more of a history lesson in French, which makes it harder to connect to her on a deeper level.
3.9 stars (7.8/10)
I've read a lot of Canadian historical fiction already, but I learned something new from this book. The history of Quebec isn't discussed in-depth outside the province and I learned about the Abenaki (Alnanbal) people for the first time so this book was interesting.
I might buy a personal copy. The main girl character was more likeable than the one about polio.
Good read. Had nice messages like loving your enemy and seeing them as people too.
Critique: has too many French words that can be commonly replaced with English (eg: scarf, pig, etc.) that weren't special enough to really see why they should be in French instead of English. I'd get it if it was a name or term specific to the culture, but otherwise it becomes too much.
The cramming of historical figures and details in French didn't help either. While I did get to review my French, too much French breaks the flow of the story. It also makes it less of a story about the main character at times and more of a history lesson in French, which makes it harder to connect to her on a deeper level.
October 27, 2020
Well researched , well written, and most importantly will suck children in to a story they can become engrossed in and never know they are actually learning history. I was surprised on how much I learned and also came to understand the French heritage of Quebec. Ashamed I am of my lack of empathy for the plight of the French (in my defence I was raised in Ontario and of Britain decent ) we were taught mostly I sympathy towards the English. I truly appreciate hearing these stories and understanding and more importantly facing my own predjudice- owning that and becoming better for it. ok there was also a character who was a Scot with a background of Culloden who becomes a publisher - lol remind you of someone
January 13, 2020
I read this in three days, and you'd think that would mean it was interesting. Sadly, it's really not. It's easy to read, and I thought overall it was an okay book, but nothing stands out too much about it. Wigwedi the revenge-peeing rabbit was the only thing that I thought was unique and original (and funny). I guess I can say I learned basic facts about the French and Indian War from a Canadian's perspective; I find it fascinating to see how Canada's history lines up with what was happening at the same time in America.
June 5, 2013
I believe I enjoyed this one. I liked that it was coming from a First Nations narrator, which was different than other books in the series. My only problems are that some of the Dear Canada books had French words and phrases in them, and while they were sometimes translated, other times all they gave you was an index in the back of the book that you had to flip to, so it ruined the flow of your reading. All the Dear Canada books are worth reading, though!
November 5, 2012
The Death of My Country is another book from the Dear Canada series, following the story of Genevieve Aubuchon, an Abanaki who was adopted by a french woman, Madame Claire. The story takes place in Quebec, New France and includes the battle at the Plains of Abraham and focuses on Genevieve and how she deals with the war.
July 13, 2018
The ending was a bit abrupt, but overall the story flowed well. There were some French words that I felt like were unnecessarily put in italics and added to the glossary, as they were ones that are used in English. The historical note states that the Abenaki are not recognized as a tribe in the United States and while that is largely the case, they have made progress in Vermont.
June 10, 2017
A favourite of mine, The Death of My Country is a book that doesn't lag and the author has written the story in a way that flows and leaves the reader wanting more. I'd definitely recommend this book to someone interested in learning about Canada's history, but who doesn't want to read straight facts.
November 20, 2015
*4.5* This was great, it took me a little bit to get into it but once I did I was fascinated. I really enjoyed Genevieve as a character.
March 29, 2016
great story bout what the natives faced when the french came to quebec
September 2, 2018
My favorite part was when Genevieve's brother Chegual got better from his injury and didn't die like evryone thought he would. My least favorite part was when Genevieve's friend Etienne died.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2018
A easy read. Peaked my interest in what happened at the Plains of Abraham. The author did a good job of writing as a young girl would, which I enjoyed.
February 20, 2019
Maxine Trottier is quickly becoming one of my favorite Dear Canada authors. Knowing very little about Canadian history, I'm really enjoying getting to learn a little through these books.
September 21, 2023
Recently visited Quebec City and wanted to read this book again. It's so interesting reading it through the eyes of someone who was "there", after having been there and having it all fresh in my mind.
The story is very good. I think Maxine Trottier does an excellent job of portraying what went on during the siege, and the feelings of the people who experienced it.
The story is very good. I think Maxine Trottier does an excellent job of portraying what went on during the siege, and the feelings of the people who experienced it.
April 6, 2023
I read quite a few entries of the "my dear..." series, and I really enjoyed this one, even if I am not its target reader. It was well-researched and had a good narrative arch which should keep the young reader interested.
June 14, 2023
I didn’t too know too much about the Plajns of Abraham, so this was a perfect introduction to the topic with a unique POV of Geneviève being a Indigenous Abenaki.
Read
January 29, 2024this changed me fr
May 8, 2024
C'est un livre très intéressant ! J'ai appris plus de l'histoire du Canada. Il y avait quelques mots que je n'ai pas su, mais c'était encore bon.
June 26, 2025
Highly nuanced and seemingly well-researched. Genevieve is a convincing and layered protagonist, and I even enjoyed the romance in this one.
April 17, 2025
After the disappointments of "Alone in an Untamed Island" and "Blood Upon Our Land", two other books written by Maxine Trottier, my hopes for "The Death of My County" were quite low. Thank God I did that because this book is terrible as heck.
Geneviève (or Miguen, which is her Abenaki name and how I'll call her for the entirety of this review), feels too perfect to be real. I mean, this girl is TWELVE YEARS OLD, speaks three languages perfectly (I've known people like that, so it's not too hard to believe), knows some ways of healing, can read and write perfectly, is much better educated than any girls her age and is treated perfectly fine by everyone?! It's 1759 for goodness sake! Yeah, I get it, not everyone hated on the First Nations, but the fact that EVERYONE accepts Miguen so easily is unrealistic as heck! And the little internal conflict that she has wondering whether she's Abenaki or French feels poorly done. Why you may ask? Because it's barely shown! It's just like Hèlene from "Alone in an Untamed Island", where she says that she has a strong temper but it's only shown ONCE. That's EXACTLY how Miguen's internal conflict is! Told, but barely shown! Am I supposed to feel bad for Miguen-Sue? I don't think so! Making her too perfect feels unrealistic and uninteresting, especially considering that everyone treats her perfectly.
The story is slow paced at the start, which is okay, because other books are like that in order to make the tragedy hit harder (just like "No Safe Harbour" did). Unfortunately, it's not well done in "The Death of My County". It's just the boring day-to-day life of Miguen, that is only okay because of the inclusion of Chegual and Etienne (I'll talk more about them later). Then the British attack Quebec, but it doesn't feel as dangerous and bad as it should, due to Miguen and her family being so far away from it. And the problems that arise don't feel too bad due to the lack of emotion that Miguen has in her writing. Not to mention, the ending feels rushed as heck and doesn't really fit with the tone of the story. And if you thought this was bad, we haven't even gotten to the romance yet!
I'll keep it brief; Miguen meets a soldier named Andrew, hates him at first, but when she learns that he's a good guy, she falls for him. It's bad because Andrew is TWENTY while Miguen is TWELVE!!! At least they get married when Miguen's an adult, but it's still pretty bad.
This book would've been SOOOOOO much better if it was written from Chegual's or Etienne's perspective. Why? Because they're interesting, complex and have an ACTUAL personality! Too bad that these two are stuck in such an awful book.
Do I recommend this book? NO!!! Miguen sucks, the story sucks, the romance sucks, and the only saving grace are Chegual and Etienne! Go and read something else in this collection that's not written by Maxine Trottier, because all three books that she wrote in this collection suck.
Geneviève (or Miguen, which is her Abenaki name and how I'll call her for the entirety of this review), feels too perfect to be real. I mean, this girl is TWELVE YEARS OLD, speaks three languages perfectly (I've known people like that, so it's not too hard to believe), knows some ways of healing, can read and write perfectly, is much better educated than any girls her age and is treated perfectly fine by everyone?! It's 1759 for goodness sake! Yeah, I get it, not everyone hated on the First Nations, but the fact that EVERYONE accepts Miguen so easily is unrealistic as heck! And the little internal conflict that she has wondering whether she's Abenaki or French feels poorly done. Why you may ask? Because it's barely shown! It's just like Hèlene from "Alone in an Untamed Island", where she says that she has a strong temper but it's only shown ONCE. That's EXACTLY how Miguen's internal conflict is! Told, but barely shown! Am I supposed to feel bad for Miguen-Sue? I don't think so! Making her too perfect feels unrealistic and uninteresting, especially considering that everyone treats her perfectly.
The story is slow paced at the start, which is okay, because other books are like that in order to make the tragedy hit harder (just like "No Safe Harbour" did). Unfortunately, it's not well done in "The Death of My County". It's just the boring day-to-day life of Miguen, that is only okay because of the inclusion of Chegual and Etienne (I'll talk more about them later). Then the British attack Quebec, but it doesn't feel as dangerous and bad as it should, due to Miguen and her family being so far away from it. And the problems that arise don't feel too bad due to the lack of emotion that Miguen has in her writing. Not to mention, the ending feels rushed as heck and doesn't really fit with the tone of the story. And if you thought this was bad, we haven't even gotten to the romance yet!
I'll keep it brief; Miguen meets a soldier named Andrew, hates him at first, but when she learns that he's a good guy, she falls for him. It's bad because Andrew is TWENTY while Miguen is TWELVE!!! At least they get married when Miguen's an adult, but it's still pretty bad.
This book would've been SOOOOOO much better if it was written from Chegual's or Etienne's perspective. Why? Because they're interesting, complex and have an ACTUAL personality! Too bad that these two are stuck in such an awful book.
Do I recommend this book? NO!!! Miguen sucks, the story sucks, the romance sucks, and the only saving grace are Chegual and Etienne! Go and read something else in this collection that's not written by Maxine Trottier, because all three books that she wrote in this collection suck.
November 5, 2025
After reading Maxine Trottier's first Dear Canada book, Alone In An Untamed Land, I had extremely low expectations for this one. Alone In An Untamed Land, about the Filles de Roi, was irredeemable. The romanticization of the grooming of a 12-year-old girl to marry a 30-year-old man and then packaged to sell to kids of the same age today? Gross. The Death of My Country is marginally better.
Trottier still lays the groundwork for a romance between a 12-year-old girl and this time," only," a 20-year-old adult man, but that romance doesn't actually happen until she's 18 or 19.
The story itself describes the siege of Québec by General Wolfe, the deaths of both Wolfe and General Montcalm and the eventual conquer of New France. It dips a bit into the bigger picture of colonialism with the inclusion of Scottish soldiers serving the British military and their motives for participation, as well as different Indigenous nations fighting on both sides.
The protagonist is Miguen - renamed Geneviève by her French foster mother- an orphaned Abenaki. Geneviève and her brother were found by voyageurs and brought to a convent for some good old Canadian assimilation. Her brother, Chegual, and their friend Etienne return to a settlement of their people and fight with the French. Geneviève stays with her foster mother, Mme. Claire.
This book is touted as the first book in the Dear Canada series to include an Indigenous perspective. I think 22 years later, there are only one or two others. In the author bio, Trottier mentions that she has some indigenous ancestry, but I'm a white lady and so I'm not going to comment on blood quantum or try to gatekeep a culture but...I think for us we're also going to prioritize contemporary Indigenous authors, when looking for Indigenous voices.
Trottier still lays the groundwork for a romance between a 12-year-old girl and this time," only," a 20-year-old adult man, but that romance doesn't actually happen until she's 18 or 19.
The story itself describes the siege of Québec by General Wolfe, the deaths of both Wolfe and General Montcalm and the eventual conquer of New France. It dips a bit into the bigger picture of colonialism with the inclusion of Scottish soldiers serving the British military and their motives for participation, as well as different Indigenous nations fighting on both sides.
The protagonist is Miguen - renamed Geneviève by her French foster mother- an orphaned Abenaki. Geneviève and her brother were found by voyageurs and brought to a convent for some good old Canadian assimilation. Her brother, Chegual, and their friend Etienne return to a settlement of their people and fight with the French. Geneviève stays with her foster mother, Mme. Claire.
This book is touted as the first book in the Dear Canada series to include an Indigenous perspective. I think 22 years later, there are only one or two others. In the author bio, Trottier mentions that she has some indigenous ancestry, but I'm a white lady and so I'm not going to comment on blood quantum or try to gatekeep a culture but...I think for us we're also going to prioritize contemporary Indigenous authors, when looking for Indigenous voices.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews